Govt to spend €3.9 million on the Turk Council’s villa in Budapest

The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is spending hundreds of millions of forints on the Turk Council. Hungary is also paying for the new garden of the Ybl Villa donated to the Turk Council.

Hungarian headquarters of the Turk Council

In 2016, the Hungarian state bought the Ybl Villa for 1.4 billion forints (€ 3.9 million). The 800-square-metre, three-storey villa was first intended for the Hungarian Academy of Arts.

The Hungarian government gave the villa to the Turk Council in 2019.

The Turk Council can use the property located in the 2nd district of Budapest. The Organisation of Turk States includes Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkey. Hungary has had observer status in the Council since 2018.

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The Hungarian state is financing the entire budget of the Ybl Square Villa.

However, with the exception of fire emergency and disaster, no Hungarian authority may enter the premises without permission. The budget of the property also includes maintenance, operation, and the salaries of the employees, which are paid by all Hungarian taxpayers, writes rtl.hu. The Foreign Ministry believes that the office of the Turk Council did not receive any special treatment. It has the same rights as the Hungarian headquarters of any other international organisation. 

The government will renovate the garden of the Ybl Villa